Ripples From 2011 Redistricting Lawsuit Put Davis & Abbott Head To Head

While the general election is still a year away, tension between gubernatorial candidates Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott is already ratcheting up.

That battle is over money that the courts say Davis is owed for attorney fees during the 2011 redistricting battle over her state Senate seat -- a federal court in San Antonio ruled in Davis' favor just over a month ago.

Davis’ attorney Gerry Hebert said the federal court ordered Abbott to pay $600,000 as part of their decision for Davis.

"Notwithstanding that order from the court, Abbott has taken the position that Davis' plaintiffs are not the prevailing parties and has told the court they think the court’s wrong," Hebert said.

Abbott has also filed an appeal with the courts that the Davis’ legal fees are inflated and unreasonable and that the group hired political consultants.

Matt Angle with the Lone Star Project, a group supporting the Davis campaign, also lent his time to the Davis redistricting case with his group Angle Strategies.

"My firm is one of the firms that provided analysis of the maps and also did trial preparation with the attorneys," Angle said.

Hebert said the work performed by Angle was of a legal nature and not political consulting. But that only accounts so about $40,000 of the $600,000 still owed.

In a legal brief filed with the court Abbott wrote:

"The state claims the 'prevailing party'’ status doesn’t apply because the plaintiffs 'never received a judgement on the merits' of their complaint against the redraw.'

Angle said the attorney general is wasting taxpayer money by continuing this court battle beyond the final judgement.